ENG-2000 — Page 439

CHAPTER 20

Religion and Custom

RELIGIOUS freedom is one of the fundamental rights enjoyed by Hong Kong residents. It is protected by the Basic Law and the relevant legislation. The various religious traditions practiced in Hong Kong embrace, among others, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism. All of these traditions have a considerable number of adherents. Apart from offering religious instruction, many major religious bodies have established schools and provided health and welfare facilities.

Traditional Festivals

Five major Chinese festivals offer occasions for family union and feasting. Foremost is the Lunar New Year, celebrated in the first few days of the first moon of the year. Friends and relatives visit each other and exchange gifts while children and unmarried adults receive lai see, or 'lucky' money.

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon in memory of an ancient Chinese poet, Qu Yuan, who committed suicide by jumping into a river rather than compromise his honour. The festival has developed into an annual event characterised by dragon boat races and eating of rice dumplings wrapped in lotus leaves.

For the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth moon, adults and children gather under the full moon with colourful lanterns and exchange gifts of mooncakes, fruit and wine.

The Ching Ming Festival in spring and the Chung Yeung Festival on the ninth day of the ninth moon are occasions for visiting ancestral graves. Many people mark Chung Yeung by climbing hills in remembrance of an ancient Chinese family that escaped plague and death by fleeing to a mountain top.

Buddhism and Taoism

Buddhism and Taoism, traditional Chinese religions, have a large local following with more than 600 Chinese temples in the HKSAR. The major festival of Buddhism is the Buddha's Birthday, which falls on the eighth day of the fourth moon.

Buddhist and Taoist deities are often honoured together in the same temple. Leading deities include Buddha, Kwun Yum (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy) and Lui Cho (a Taoist god). Besides this, deified mortals such as Che Kung and Kwan Tai are revered in recognition of their feats. Tin Hau, the Queen of Heaven and Protector of Seafarers, is worshipped widely. During the Tin Hau Festival, which falls on the 23rd day of the third moon, many worshippers visit the most famous Tin Hau temple,

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